Event Description: USFL Owners Divided
Source: United Press International
U.S. Football League Commissioner Chet Simmons said Friday his 16-team league is divided into three camps in its search for survival.
Simmons, noting attendance is up about 10 percent over last year (the league's first) at an average of about 27,000, is concerned about plunging television ratings. He said a study committee is expected to report shortly on the direction the USFL should take.
“We've got a group pushing for us to go to fall football, another wanting us to continue as we have these past two years and a third that appears willing to accept either option,” said Simmons.
“My gut feeling is we can't stay where we have been for the past two years,” added Simmons, who appears to favor playing head-to-head against the NFL in the fall. “Whatever we do, it must be for the league's best interest.”
Simmons' biggest concern appears to be TV ratings, which were running at 8 percent early this year before sagging to 3 percent by the close of the regular season.
“It isn't just us,” said Simmons. “People have seen so much for so long television sports in general may be in a decline. The only sport that is up right now is Monday night baseball.”
He said he has been trying to get better television times and dates for the USFL.
“I hate to deal with ABC (television) in the press,” said Simmons, “but one of our biggest problems these past two years has been our inability in the spring to televise more games back home for teams on the road.”
Simmons admits that teams now playing in NFL cities probably would be hurt by the USFL's proposed fall schedule. “We have different interests at stake,” he said. “What may be good for one team could be disastrous for another.”
Simmons brushed aside questions about a possible merger between the leagues. “I don't believe,” he said, “there has been any formal merger consideration within the U.S. Football League.”
As for expansion, Simmons said, “There are a couple of markets we're interested in, but nothing has been formalized.”
Simmons said he has been unable to get ABC, which televised two and sometimes three USFL games a week this past season, to sit down and talk about the future.
“Right now, ABC is unwilling to talk about more prime-time coverage,” he said. “We're between a rock and a hard place because we need those numbers for our TV ratings. This league has done very, very well coming from scratch two years ago. At first, level of play was terrible and we've come a long way, surviving the critical approach of the media and some of the fans.”
“We're still losing money, but the losses will be less this year than last. We have to learn to spend our money wisely. We have a very vocal ownership. They are impatient and frustrated. They know they have a good product and they want to expose it.”
Simmons said the USFL is concerned about the problems facing its Los Angeles franchise. But he said next year the Express will fend better without the Olympics to contend with. “The Olympics,” he said, “took a lot of dollars out of the Los Angeles area.”
Simmons said he had little information regarding an announcement that the Tulsa franchise was looking to move.
“I haven't talked to the owners yet,” he said. “I hate to have a team in limbo and that's what we have right now.”
Story-(UPI)
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